Sgt. Stephen Coco was fired within days of the accident, but he was never indicted by a grand jury. He had been facing two felony counts of conduct after an accident, but the charges were downgraded in what appears to be a plea deal.

Sullivan County Attorney Mark Hathaway was brought in to prosecute the case because it involved a Manchester police officer, and there would have been conflict-of-interest concerns.

Coco was accused of being behind the wheel of a police-issued, unmarked SUV that ran over two teenage boys on the night of March 22 and then left without stopping. Noah Hickman and Dean Drukker were left lying in the snow on Harrod Lane.

"My son could have died," said Roy Drukker, Dean Drukker's father. "That's absolutely criminal, and especially the fact that it was a police officer who knows better. That really bothers us a lot."

It was a case so disturbing to the Manchester Police Department that the 17-and-a-half-year veteran was fired almost instantly.

On Sept. 19, after a 60-day extension requested by the prosecutor ended, documents were filed downgrading the charge against Coco to two counts of misdemeanor vehicular assault.

Roy Drukker said he and the Hickmans were contacted the night before by the prosecutor and asked about their priorities in the case.

"We thought jail time was very important," he said. "And at a minimum, there should be some jail time for this crime."

News 9 reached out to the prosecutor and Coco's defense attorney, but they were unavailable. No one was home at Coco's home in Bedford on Monday. He lives half a mile from the accident scene, where Roy Drukker said he son was left unconscious with bleeding on his brain.

"Unfortunately, Dean will always have a little less respect for the police officers, which is terrible," he said. "They're wonderful people, most of them, and I think he lost his trust. And so did we as a family."

A judge is expected to hear the case in the next month. If the modified charges are accepted, each Class A misdemeanor carries up to one year in jail, which can be reduced to four months for good behavior.

The original Class B felony charges carried possible sentences of three-and-a-half to seven years.

The judge has the option of rejecting the deal, but officials told News 9 that's unlikely.

HE WAS FIRED BUT NOT INDICTED BY A GRAND JURY. WAS THIS A PLEA DEAL? AND PEERS TO BE. SULLIVAN COUNTY ATTORNEY MARC HATHAWAY WAS RUN INTO PROSECUTE THIS CASE. THE MISDEMEANOR CHARGES ADDRESS THE FACT THAT THE BOYS WERE RUN OVER BUT ELIMINATE THE CHARGE THAT THE POLICE OFFICER ALLEGEDLY LEFT THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT. IT WAS A CASE SO DISTURBING TO THE MANCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT A 17 AND A HALF YEAR VETERAN WAS FIRED ALMOST INSTANTLY. HE ALLEGEDLY RAN OVER TO BOYS AND DID NOT STOP. LEAVING THEM LYING IN THE SNOW. MY SON COULD HAVE DIED. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY CRIMINAL. AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS A POLICE OFFICER THAT KNOWS BETTER. THAT REALLY BOTHERS US A LOT. ON SEPTEMBER 19, THE DEADLINE AFTER A 60 DAY RISK -- EXTENSION, THESE DOCUMENTS WERE FILED. DOWNGRADING THE CHARGE TO TWO CHARGES OF MISDEMEANOR VEHICULAR ASSAULT. ROY DRUCKMAN SAID HE AND THE HICKMANS WERE CONTACTED AND ASKED ABOUT THEIR PRIORITIES. WE THOUGHT JAIL TIME WAS VERY IMPORTANT. AT A MINIMUM THERE SHOULD BE SOME JAIL TIME FOR THIS CRIME. NEWS 9 REACHED OUT TO THE PROSECUTOR AND THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY ABOUT THIS CASE. THEY WERE NOT AVAILABLE. NO ONE HOME AT THE MEADOW CREST ADDRESS IN BEDFORD. HE LIVES HALF A MILE FROM THE ACCIDENT SCENE THAT THE VICTIMS PARENTS SAY LEFT AIR SON UNCONSCIOUS WAS BLEEDING ON HIS BRAIN. HE WILL ALWAYS HAVE A LITTLE LESS RESPECT FOR THE POLICE OFFICERS UNFORTUNATELY WHICH IS TERRIBLE. THEY'RE WONDERFUL PEOPLE, MOST OF THEM. I THINK HE LOST HIS TRUST AND SO DID WE AS A FAMILY. A JUDGE IS EXPECTED TO HEAR THE CASE. IF THE CHARGES ARE EXPECTED, CLASS A IS LESS THAN THE THREE AND A HALF TO SEVEN YEARS OF PRISON THAT THE CLASS B FELONIES CARRY.